Business Directories

Fifa faces Qatar row after World Cup respite

Rio de Janeiro, July 15, 2014

Soccer's governing body Fifa will have little time to bask in the glory of the 2014 World Cup as it faces a plethora of problems, including the controversy over 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Fifa's directors will barely have stepped off the plane in Zurich before having to face the Qatar issue once again.

Former US attorney Michael Garcia, who has been leading a Fifa ethics committee investigation into allegations of corruption surrounding the award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, is due to submit his report within the next few weeks.

The case will then be handed to German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, head of the ethics committee's adjudicatory chamber, and if he finds corruption, Qatar could face a challenge to its position as host either through a re-vote or other processes.

The Sunday Times newspaper reported recently that some of the "millions of documents" it had seen linked payments by former Fifa executive committee member Mohamed Bin Hammam to officials to win backing for Qatar's World Cup bid.

Qatar has also been under fire for its treatment of tens of thousands of migrant workers in the construction industry and Fifa still has to decide in which time of year the tournament should be held to avoid the scorching summer.

That decision in turn could play havoc with European club football's complex calendar which is centred around a summer break. - Reuters